Most flagpoles can be separated into three categories. The first type of flagpole is single, tubular rigid flagpole which is permanently installed and include a halyard for raising and lowering the flag. The second is a telescoping flagpole comprised of a plurality of telescoping segments which are extendable to a displayed position and can be retracted and nested within adjacent telescoping segments facilitating storage and simplifying the raising and lowering of the flag. The third type of flagpole is the short tubular type which is typically one or two fixed one segments. These are common residential flagpoles and are often seen mounted on an angle on the side of a house or garage. As mentioned above, the permanently installed flagpoles, use a halyard to hoist a flag. A pulley or tackle is ordinarily provided at the top of the flagpole in order that a flag may be hoisted. A rope with snap hooks extends from the pulley to the ground. The snap hooks are used to engage grommets on the edge of the flag. Such flags, when hoisted, have a tendency to wrap around a flagpole in varying wind conditions. This is also true of short one section residential flagpoles which commonly use a fixed eyelet on a pole or simple rope to permanently tie off the flag to the flagpole.
The use of telescoping flagpoles has substantially eliminated a number of these problems. Telescoping flagpoles typically comprise a plurality of telescoping tubular segments. The bottommost segment is of the greatest diameter and is permanently fixed to the ground or slidably received within a ground socket. The uppermost segment is fitted with a flag engaging mechanism to which the flag is attached. Such flag engaging mechanism may take the form of typical eyelets or other fasteners which are permanently affixed to the top most segment. Additionally, telescoping flagpoles may use rotatable rings to attach the flag to the flagpole. The top flag engaging ring is maintained in place adjacent the top end of the uppermost segment while a bottom flag engaging segment is freely slidable along at least the top most segment. This allows that the top most segment may be telescoped within the next intermediate segment. Further, the freely slidable bottom most ring, being coupled with an upper ring which is capable of rotating on top of the mast, provides a mechanism which prevents the flag from wrapping, twisting or otherwise becoming entangled around the flagpole. This is an advantageous feature of telescoping flagpoles which is not otherwise practical on large single segment flagpoles. Specifically, there is no ability to raise a bottom most flag engaging ring or otherwise to access the top flag engaging ring except by a halyard. The halyard then prevents the flag engaging rings from being freely rotatable about the flagpole. Telescoping flagpoles, on the other hand, allow for the flag engaging rings to be brought to ground level, the flag placed thereon, and the entire pole assembly to be raised. This distinctive advantage of a telescoping flagpole also presents a disadvantage. As the wind catches the flag and the flag flies freely, the flag will begin to billow like a sail causing it to bulge or swell out. The wind force causing this billowing pulls on the flag at the flag attachments. Since the bottom flag attachment is both rotatable and slidable along the flagpole, the wind forces pull axially upward on the bottom flag attachments. This causes the flag to billow and bulge even more severely wherein the bottom flag attachment is pulled up even further. Soon the flag resembles a wind sock in appearance. Conventional flag attachments do not have this problem since the bottom most attachment is normally tied off with the rope at ground level. However, such a tie off would delete one of the innovative advantages of a telescoping flagpole. The advantage being, as discussed above, a flag attachment which allows the flag to fly freely in the wind without wrapping around the pole.
For the same reasons as above, prior art telescoping flagpoles are also not amenable to flying a second flag simultaneously below and upper flag. Two flags simply exaggerate the billowing effect. Additionally, prior art telescoping flagpoles are not equipped to fly a flag at a half mast.
Other disadvantages of telescoping flagpoles are seen in the mechanisms provided to limit maximum extension of the tubular segments and the locking mechanisms utilized to lock the flagpole in place at the maximum extension. Prior art telescoping flagpoles generally show a locking pin cooperable with an aperture in an adjacent telescoping segment. As shown in Wiese U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,896, incorporated by reference herein, a spring loaded locking pin on the smaller tubular segment engages the aperture opening on the adjacent larger tubular segment upon full extension of the mast, thus holding adjacent segments in an extended position. Such locking mechanism does not provide for intermediate extension of the flagpole. Further, as disclosed in Wiese '896, separate and distinct internal bushing rings spaced downwardly from the upper ends are required within each of the bottom and intermediate segments to limit the upward extension of adjacent tubes. Such prior art telescoping flagpoles require the manufacture of additional parts and an additional installation step in the assembly of such flagpoles. The added complexity increase the time and cost of manufacture and assembly. Further, the resulting number of internal parts increases the likelihood of adjacent ill-fitting sections and also increases maintenance requirements.